Electronic devices such as set-top boxes are typically assembled apparatuses having a plurality of walls and other components. These other components can include printed circuit boards, heat sinks or heat spreader, cables, hard drives, smart card assemblies, and antennas. The plurality of walls and components make the assembly of these devices quite challenging in high volume manufacturing environments. As such, there is a need to insure that the components are staged, mounted, and installed in a manner that is fast and safe for the components. Further, there is a need to insure that the components are inspectable and designed in a manner that makes their installation as reversible as possible for rework in the factory or in the field.
As such, some devices such as the vertically oriented set top box disclosed in International Application No. PCT/US15/17791 filed on Feb. 26, 2015 incorporate screwless attachment concepts to assemble the housings of the devices in such a way that the access to the devices in the field can be performed in a safe and efficient manner by an authorized person without the need to undue screws. Such designs as in the above mentioned application make gaining access to the interior components of these devices more convenient and reduce excessive handling.
The casings of the vertically oriented set top boxes and gateway devices are relatively tall. The bases are generally narrow. With such a geometry, these designs present more challenges than the horizontally oriented set top boxes for screwless housing assembling. The reason is it is difficult to include a locking mechanism in these tall boxes that can extend from the top side to the bottom side of the boxes and yet still be able to house the plurality of necessary components which can include a plurality of antennas without interfering with the locking mechanism.
The need for a plurality of antennas in these vertically oriented set top boxes or gateway devices particularly presents a challenge. The problem is that in some designs up to 7 antennas are required, which means that additional cables must be used to connect the antennas to a circuit board and additional fixtures or antenna supports must be installed in the devices to support the antennas. Further, the antennas not only involve extra handling of the work product in the factory that place other components at risk and drive up manufacturing cost, but also these antennas have a propensity for electrostatic discharge in use. As such, designers must ensure that the antennas are adequately shielded in these devices which tend to be quite crowded. Thus, the need exists for an antenna mounting system that is commensurate with the screwless attachment concepts and yet do not pose the risk of electrostatic discharge to and from the antennas.
These and other drawbacks and disadvantages presented by vertically oriented electronic devices are addressed by the present principles, which are directed to a vertical electronic apparatus and associated printed circuits. However, it can be understood by those skilled in the art that the principles can be taken advantage of in horizontally oriented devices as well.